Street-network Sprawl in Wenshan, China

What is Street-network sprawl?

Street-network Sprawl is a way to measure urban sprawl, worldwide, through the connectedness of the streets. Less sprawl means more connected, more walkable streets. Well-connected streets – like New York City’s grid – are more walkable and can be served by public transit.

The street network is permanent, and its connectivity affects the livability and environmental footprint of cities for decades and centuries to come. In places with more connected streets, residents drive less and walk more. A well-connected street network is associated with better outcomes for health, the environment, sustainable consumption, social integration, and equity.

We can quantify how connected street networks are with the Street Network Disconnectedness Index (SNDi).

SNDi -- our measure of street-network sprawl (disconnectedness)

The SNDi is a comprehensive measurement of “sprawl”. It captures:

A higher SNDi means less-connected streets – i.e., more sprawl. For the 10137 cities in our dataset, the average SNDi is 2.25, with half of the cities' SNDis falling between 1.08 and 3.25.

More information on the sprawl index can be found in these research papers:

To see the state of street-network sprawl across the globe, visit the sprawlmap.

Wenshan: city in Yunnan, China

What exactly constitutes the spatial extent of the city? For these aggregations, we used the Global Human Settlement Layer Urban Center Database (GHS-UCDB) to define the boundaries of the city. These cities -- or urban centers -- cover areas that are densely populated and built-up, and so may extend beyond the spatial borders of these cities that we may be familiar with. The GHS area is shaded in blue.

View Wenshan, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Wenshan as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.72, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.71, 1.44, 2.0 and 1.62. Disconnectivity in street construction in Wenshan follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Wenshan spans a total of 209 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.71, which is relatively well-connected.

Effect on the aggregate network: New construction in each period adds to the total stock of streets, but does not change streets that have already been built. Therefore, it has a limited effect on the street network as a whole. The SNDis of the aggregate street network in the respective time periods are 1.71, 1.65, 1.67 and 1.72. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Wenshan has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Wenshan and Yunnan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Wenshan followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in Yunnan rose steadily.

How do development practices in Wenshan fare in comparison to others in Yunnan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Wenshan was the 32nd-most disconnected out of the 56 cities in Yunnan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Yunnan, street construction in Wenshan has become more connected. Wenshan ranked 20th in 1975, 29th in 1976-1990, 25th in 1991-2000 and 32nd in 2001-2014.

Wenshan and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Wenshan followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in China followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

How do development practices in Wenshan fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Wenshan was the 813th-most disconnected out of the 1651 cities in China. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in China, street construction in Wenshan has become more connected. Wenshan ranked 579th in 1975, 897th in 1976-1990, 490th in 1991-2000 and 813th in 2001-2014.

Wenshan and Yunnan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Wenshan was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Yunnan rose steadily.

To date, Wenshan is the 38th-most disconnected out of the 56 cities in Yunnan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Yunnan, the street network in Wenshan has become more connected. Wenshan ranked 20th in 1975, 33rd in 1976-1990, 36th in 1991-2000 and 38th in 2001-2014.

Wenshan and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Wenshan was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in China peaked in 1976-1990.

To date, Wenshan is the 845th-most disconnected out of the 1651 cities in China. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in China, the street network in Wenshan has become more connected. Wenshan ranked 579th in 1975, 814th in 1976-1990, 814th in 1991-2000 and 845th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Wenshan had a built-up area of 18.84 square kilometers, and a population of 199981 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: